Clip-on mounting rails, mounting brackets, and methods of mounting solar modules

ABSTRACT

A snap-on mounting bracket assembly suitable for connecting a mounting rail to a torque tube is provided. The mounting bracket assembly includes an upper clamp piece and a lower clamp piece. The upper clamp piece has a first member defining a tube insertion aperture and an open bottom space and includes an upper partial fastener. The lower clamp piece has a second member with a lower partial fastener configured to mate with the upper partial fastener such that the lower clamp piece is attachable to the upper clamp piece. In exemplary embodiments, the lower clamp piece further comprises two opposing support members configured to attach to the mounting rail. Solar tracker assemblies incorporating snap-on open mounting brackets are provided. Methods of mounting framed or unframed solar modules are also described. A mounting rail is attached to an upper clamp piece of a mounting assembly. Then the upper clamp piece is snapped onto a torque tube. A lower clamp piece of the mounting assembly is then attached to the upper clamp piece by mating a lower partial fastener of the lower clamp piece with an upper partial fastener of the upper clamp piece. When the upper and lower clamp pieces are attached, the open bottom space is closed and the mounting rail is secured to the torque tube.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/741,597 which was filed on Jan. 13, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No.10,917,039, issued Feb. 9, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/618,408 which was filed on Jun. 9, 2017, nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,536,109, issued Jan. 14, 2020, which claims priority toand the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/348,999, which was filed on Jun. 12, 2016, each of which isincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates to mounting rails and mounting bracketassemblies. The present disclosure further relates to open bottom,clip-on mounting assemblies for connecting mounting rails to torquetubes

Description

In photovoltaic (PV) module mounting clamp designs for framed modules,the module mounting clamp is best slid over the end of the torque tubeprior to installation of the tube. These standard-module mounting clampsare relatively small, usually 300-600 mm in width. The short clamps areeasy to slide onto the end of the torque tube and transport well whilemounted onto the torque tube across the field and therefore result in anefficient installation process.

Frameless PV modules, especially glass modules which incorporate glassas both the front and back sheets of the module are becoming morepopular due to benefits such as better fire protection, improvedmoisture barriers, and because they exhibit less overall lifetimedegradation. To mount unframed PV modules, a longer structure isrequired to support the unframed glass of the module. One such unframedmodule supporting structure consists of module mounting rails. Theserails are typically fabricated from roll formed steel and may bemultiple meters in length. The module mounting rails need to be attachedto the torque tubes of the solar tracker. Additionally, it may bedesirable to mount multiple framed modules in landscape to achieve adifferent aspect ratio for the array or to achieve better support forthe modules in high load scenarios onto module mounting rails.

However, it is not practical to have a mount in which the installerneeds to thread long mounting rails over the end of the torque tube andthen transport them across the field to install as can be done with theshort (0.3 meter) module mounting clamps for framed modules. The longlength (2-3 meters) of the module mounting rails would hang from thetorque tube and would likely get damaged during assembly and trackerinstallation.

In addition, while torque tubes can be any shape, octagonal is a commonand advantageous shape. The octagon is a unique shape and resembles around tube with eight flat sides. However, it is not readily suitable toattachment by a straight bolt or simple standard hardware.

Accordingly, there is a need for a mounting bracket assembly that can beplaced over a torque tube at any position along the length of the tube.There is also a need for a torque tube mounting bracket that fits overan octagonal tube. In addition, a need exists for a mounting bracketassembly that facilitates attachment of mounting rails for framelesssolar modules to a torque tube.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure alleviate to a greatextent the disadvantages of known mounting bracket assemblies byproviding a clip-on or snap-on two-piece torque tube mounting bracket.The mounting bracket assembly comprises an upper clamp piece with anopen bottom space that can be clipped or snapped onto a torque tube anda lower clamp piece attachable to the upper clamp piece. Exemplaryembodiments advantageously allow the installer to snap module mountingrails for framed or unframed solar modules onto the torque tube anywherealong the length of the tube after it is installed in the field.

Exemplary embodiments of a mounting bracket assembly comprise an upperclamp piece and a lower clamp piece. The upper clamp piece has a firstmember defining a tube insertion aperture and an open bottom space. Theupper clamp piece has an upper partial fastener. The lower clamp piecehas a second member with a lower partial fastener configured to matewith the upper partial fastener such that the lower clamp piece isattachable to the upper clamp piece. In exemplary embodiments, the lowerclamp piece further comprises two opposing support members, which may beconfigured to attach to a mounting rail. In exemplary embodiments, themounting bracket assembly further comprises at least one angledreinforcement feature formed on the upper clamp piece.

In exemplary embodiments, when the lower clamp piece attaches to theupper clamp piece the open bottom space is closed. The first member mayhave a slight return such that the upper clamp piece forms a clip orsnap attachment on a torque tube. The first member may comprise fiveoctagonal sides, and the second member may comprise three octagonalsides. In exemplary embodiments, one or both of the upper clamp pieceand lower clamp piece provide a conductive ground path to a torque tube.In exemplary embodiments, the upper partial fastener is a slot and thelower partial fastener is a hinge part.

Exemplary embodiments of a solar tracker assembly comprise at least onesupport column, a torque tube connected to the support column, at leastone mounting rail attached to the torque tube, one or more solar modulesmounted to the mounting rail, and at least one mounting bracket assemblysecuring the at least one mounting rail to the torque tube. The mountingbracket assembly comprises an upper clamp piece and a lower clamp piece.The upper clamp piece has a first member defining a tube insertionaperture and an open bottom space. The upper clamp piece has an upperpartial fastener. The lower clamp piece has a second member with a lowerpartial fastener configured to mate with the upper partial fastener suchthat the lower clamp piece is attachable to the upper clamp piece. Inexemplary embodiments, the lower clamp piece further comprises twoopposing support members, which may be configured to attach to themounting rail.

In exemplary embodiments of a solar tracker assembly, when the lowerclamp piece attaches to the upper clamp piece the open bottom space isclosed. The first member may have a slight return such that the upperclamp piece forms a clip or snap attachment on a torque tube. One orboth of the upper clamp piece and lower clamp piece may provide aconductive ground path to a torque tube. In exemplary embodiments of asolar tracker assembly, the upper partial fastener is a slot and thelower partial fastener is a hinge part. The solar tracker assembly mayfurther comprise at least one angled reinforcement feature connected tothe upper clamp piece. The solar tracker assembly may further compriseone or more solar modules mounted to the mounting rail.

Exemplary methods of mounting unframed solar modules are disclosedcomprising the steps of attaching at least one mounting rail to an upperclamp piece of a mounting assembly, snapping the upper clamp piece ontoa torque tube, and attaching a lower clamp piece of the mountingassembly to the upper clamp piece. The upper clamp piece defines a tubeinsertion aperture and an open bottom space and may include an upperpartial fastener. The lower clamp piece is attached to the upper clamppiece by mating a lower partial fastener of the lower clamp piece withthe upper partial fastener such that the open bottom space is closed andthe at least one mounting rail is secured to the torque tube. Inexemplary embodiments, the lower clamp piece further comprises twoopposing support members, which may be configured to attach to themounting rail.

Exemplary embodiments further comprise tightening a bolt and nutfastener to cinch the upper and lower clamp pieces around the torquetube. Exemplary embodiments further comprise installing at least onesolar module on the at least one mounting rail. The first member mayhave a slight return such that the upper clamp piece forms a snapattachment on a torque tube. One or both of the upper clamp piece andlower clamp piece may provide a conductive ground path to a torque tube.

Accordingly, it is seen that mounting bracket assemblies, clip-on orsnap-on mounting brackets, mounting rails, and related mounting methodsare provided. The disclosed assemblies and methods provide attachment ofmounting rails for solar modules to a torque tube at any position alongthe length of the tube. These and other features and advantages will beappreciated from review of the following detailed description, alongwith the accompanying figures in which like reference numbers refer tolike parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The appended drawings contain figures of preferred embodiments tofurther illustrate and clarify the above and other aspects, advantagesand features of the present invention. It will be appreciated that thesedrawings depict only preferred embodiments of the invention and are notintended to limits its scope. Additionally, it will be appreciated thatwhile the drawings may illustrate preferred sizes, scales, relationshipsand configurations of the invention, the drawings are not intended tolimit the scope of the claimed invention. The invention will bedescribed and explained with additional specificity and detail throughthe use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a mountingbracket assembly in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a mounting bracketassembly in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B is a detail view of exemplary upper and lower partial fastenersin accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2C is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a mounting bracketassembly in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2D is a detail view of an exemplary embodiment of a bolt and nutfastener in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an upperclamp piece of a mounting bracket assembly in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3B is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of an upper clamppiece of a mounting bracket assembly in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3C is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of an upper clamp pieceof a mounting bracket assembly in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3D is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of an upper clamppiece of a mounting bracket assembly in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3E is a detail view of an exemplary embodiment of a flange andaperture bolt and nut fastener in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a lowerclamp piece of a mounting bracket assembly in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 4B is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a lower clamppiece of a mounting bracket assembly in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4C is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a lower clamp pieceof a mounting bracket assembly in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4D is a first side view of an exemplary embodiment of a lower clamppiece of a mounting bracket assembly in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4E is a second side view of an exemplary embodiment of a lowerclamp piece of a mounting bracket assembly in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a mountingbracket assembly and mounting rails in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a mountingbracket assembly and mounting rails in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a mounting bracketassembly and mounting rails in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a mounting bracketassembly and mounting rails in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a mounting bracketassembly and mounting rails in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a detail top view of an exemplary embodiment of a mountingbracket assembly and mounting rails in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of asolar tracker assembly in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a solartracker assembly in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a solartracker assembly in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a mounting bracketassembly and mounting rails in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a mountingbracket assembly and mounting rails in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 16 is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a mounting bracketassembly and mounting rails in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a mountingbracket assembly and mounting rails in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 18 a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a mountingbracket assembly and mounting rails in accordance with the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 19 a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a mountingbracket assembly and mounting rails in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following paragraphs, embodiments will be described in detail byway of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, which arenot drawn to scale, and the illustrated components are not necessarilydrawn proportionately to one another. Throughout this description, theembodiments and examples shown should be considered as exemplars, ratherthan as limitations of the present disclosure. As used herein, the“present disclosure” refers to any one of the embodiments describedherein, and any equivalents. Furthermore, reference to various aspectsof the disclosure throughout this document does not mean that allclaimed embodiments or methods must include the referenced aspects.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4E, an exemplary embodiment of a mounting bracketassembly will be described. FIG. 1 shows a mounting bracket assembly 10incorporated into an unframed solar module supporting structure 3comprising a module mounting rail 5. In exemplary embodiments, mountingbracket assembly 10 is an octagonal device that includes an upper clamppiece 12 comprised of a first member 16 and an upper partial fastener 18and a lower clamp piece 14 comprised of a second member 17 that has alower partial fastener 20. As best seen in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A and4B the upper partial fastener 18 may be a slot 32 and the lower partialfastener 20 may be a corresponding hinge part 34. An extra fastening andtightening mechanism may be provided such as a bolt and nut fastener 36to cinch the upper and lower clamp pieces 12, 14 around the torque tube.

Advantageously, the first member 16 of the upper clamp piece 12 has anopen bottom space 24, best seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B. As discussed in moredetail herein, the open bottom space 24 may have a slight return 26 tofacilitate the mounting bracket assembly 10 to be retained over a torquetube prior to installing the lower clamp piece 14. More particularly,slight return 26 serves the function of writing around two corners ofthe octagonal torque tube to effectively snap over the tube and stay onthe tube prior to mounting the lower clamp piece 14 of the bracketassembly 10. The assembled mounting bracket assembly 10 defines a tubeinsertion aperture 22 suitable for a torque tube.

As best seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the first member 16 of the upper clamppiece 12 is a component that constitutes the top five sides 30 a-30 e ofthe octagonally shaped mounting bracket assembly 10 with an open bottomspace 24. The upper clamp piece 12 may have angled reinforcementfeatures 28 to reinforce the mounting bracket. In exemplary embodiments,a first angled reinforcement feature 28 a is formed at the top leftoctagonal side 30 a of the upper clamp piece 12, and a second angledreinforcement feature 28 b is formed at the top right octagonal side 30b of the upper clamp piece 12. The upper partial fastener 18 may beformed on either right or left octagonal sides 30 d, 30 e of the upperclamp piece. In exemplary embodiments, as best seen in FIG. 3B, upperpartial fastener 18 is a slot 32 formed at the bottom of the leftoctagonal side 30 d of the upper clamp piece 12. A first flange 42defining a first aperture 44 may be provided as part of a bolt and nutfastener assembly 36. In exemplary embodiments, the first flange 42 isformed on the bottom of the right octagonal side 30 e of the upper clamppiece 12.

The left octagonal side 30 d of the upper clamp piece 12 may also have afirst support fastener or slot 38 a adjacent to the upper partialfastener 18. The first support fastener 38 a provides an attachmentmechanism so the mounting bracket assembly 10 can be attached to amounting rail 5. Similarly, a second support fastener 38 b formed on theright octagonal side 30 e of the upper clamp piece 12 allows attachmentof one or more support rails 5 on the opposite side of mounting bracketassembly 10. As seen in FIG. 1, two support rails 5 may be attached toeach of the respective first and second support fasteners 38 a, 38 b tofacilitate incorporation of the mounting bracket assembly 10 into asolar tracker or other mechanical system.

Turning to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the second member 17 of the lower clamppiece 14 is a component that constitutes the bottom three sides 30 f 30g, 30 h of the octagonally shaped mounting bracket assembly 10. Thelower clamp piece 14 has a lower partial fastener 20, which may beformed at the top end of the lower left octagonal side 30 f. Inexemplary embodiments, the lower partial fastener 20 is a hinge piece 34that matingly corresponds to the slot 32, or upper partial fastener 18,of the upper clamp piece 12. As discussed in more detail herein, hingepiece 34 can be clipped, snapped or slid into slot 32 to facilitatemounting of solar modules onto the torque tube of a solar tracker. Asecond flange 50 defining a second aperture 52 may be formed at the topend of the lower right octagonal side 30 h. The second flange 50 mateswith first flange 42 of the upper clamp piece 12 as part of the bolt andnut fastener assembly 36.

With reference to FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 8, it can be seen that the upperclamp piece 12, with its five octagonal sides, together with the threeoctagonal sides of the lower clamp piece 14 form a full octagonalmounting bracket assembly. When the upper and lower clamp pieces 12, 14are attached, the lower partial fastener 20 of the lower clamp piece 14mates with the upper partial fastener 18. More particularly, hinge piece34 of the lower clamp piece 14 is slid, clipped, or snapped into slot 32of the upper clamp piece 12. Exemplary mounting brackets 10 are designedso that when the lower clamp piece 14 attaches to the upper clamp piece12 the open bottom space 24 is closed. In the assembled or closedconfiguration, as shown in FIGS. 5-8, the mounting bracket assembly 10comprising the attached upper and lower clamp pieces 12, 14 defines atube insertion aperture 22 suitable for a torque tube.

In exemplary embodiments, the upper clamp piece 12 and/or the lowerclamp piece 14 of the mounting bracket assembly 10 also provide aconductive ground path to a torque tube. More particularly, the modulemounting bracket assembly 10 may provide a conductive ground path to thetorque tube without any extra components because it is made fromconductive material such as aluminum. In exemplary embodiments, themounting bracket assembly is fabricated from extruded aluminum, but itmay also be fabricated from formed or cast metal, or possibly highstrength plastic by way of injection molding or extrusion. If coatingsare used on the aluminum, to retard corrosion for example, a metalground clip or other electrically conductive grounding means may beincorporated to pierce through the coating in to create a reliablebonded conducting path.

With reference to FIGS. 14-19, exemplary embodiments of a mountingbracket assembly 110 will now be described. These embodiments differfrom the mounting bracket assembly 10 described above in that the lowerclamp piece 114 here is a long beam that has two opposing supportmembers 150 a, 150 b which extend and attach to the mounting rail 7,taking the place of the separate support rails 5. The upper clamp piece112 is similar to upper clamp piece 12 in that its first member 116 is acomponent that constitutes the top five sides 130 a-130 e of theoctagonally shaped mounting bracket assembly 110 with an open bottomspace 124. In exemplary embodiments, the open bottom space 124 may havea slight return to facilitate the mounting bracket assembly 110 to beretained over a torque tube prior to installing the lower clamp piece114.

The upper clamp piece 112 may have angled reinforcement features 128 toprovide reinforcement to the mounting bracket. In exemplary embodiments,the upper clamp piece 112 has four reinforcement features 128 forattachment to the mounting rail 7 and additional support. First angledreinforcement feature 128 a is formed at the top left octagonal side 130a, a second angled reinforcement feature 128 b is formed at the topright octagonal side 130 b, a third reinforcement feature 128 c isformed at the left octagonal side 130 d, and a fourth reinforcementfeature is formed at the right octagonal side 130 e. As best seen inFIG. 14, there is an upper partial fastener 118 a formed in the thirdreinforcement feature 128 c adjacent to the left octagonal side 130 d ofthe upper clamp piece 112. Another upper partial fastener 118 b isformed in the fourth reinforcement feature 128 d adjacent to the leftoctagonal side 130 d of the upper clamp piece 112. In exemplaryembodiments, upper partial fasteners 118 a, 118 b are part of a bolt andnut fastener assembly 136, and may be slide-on nuts.

With reference to FIGS. 16-19, an exemplary embodiment of an upper clamppiece 112 has two reinforcement features 128 c and 128 d. Moreparticularly, reinforcement feature 128 c is formed at the leftoctagonal side 130 d of the upper clamp piece 212, and reinforcementfeature 128 d is formed at the right octagonal side 130 e. Withoutangled reinforcement features 128 a and 128 b, the upper clamp piece 212and the top portions of the reinforcement features 128 c and 128 dprovide attachment to mounting rail 7 and additional support, as bestseen in FIGS. 16 and 18. In the assembled or closed configuration, asshown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the mounting bracket assembly 110 comprisingthe attached upper and lower clamp pieces 212, 114 defines a tubeinsertion aperture 122 suitable for a torque tube.

In exemplary embodiments, the second member 117 of the lower clamp piece114 is a component that comprises the bottom three sides 130 f 130 g,130 h of the octagonally shaped mounting bracket assembly 110. Inaddition to the bottom three sides 130 f 130 g, 130 h, the lower clamppiece 114 comprises two opposing support members 150 a, 150 b whichextend and attach to the mounting rail 7 by one, two or more rivet studsor any other suitable fastener. In exemplary embodiments, the lowerclamp piece 114 has two lower partial fasteners 120 a and 120 b, whichmay be bolts that mate with upper partial fasteners 118 a and 118 b,respectively, of the upper clamp piece 112, as part of two bolt and nutfastener assemblies 136 a, 136 b. In exemplary embodiments, lowerpartial fastener 120 a is formed adjacent to the top end of the lowerleft octagonal side 130 f and upper partial fastener 120 b is formedadjacent to the top end of the lower right octagonal side 130 h. Whenthe lower hinge piece 114 is attached to the upper clamp piece 112 theopen bottom space 124 is closed. In the assembled or closedconfiguration, the mounting bracket assembly 110 comprising the attachedupper and lower clamp pieces 112, 114 defines a tube insertion aperturesuitable for a torque tube.

Turning to FIGS. 11-13, exemplary mounting bracket assemblies 10, 110may be used with mounting rails for solar trackers mounting framed orframeless solar modules. A solar tracker assembly 1 includes a supportcolumn 2, a torque tube 4 connected to the support column, and one ormore mounting rails 7 attached to the torque tube 4. An exemplary geardrive system 11 comprises a gear assembly 13 including at least one gearwheel 19. A motor (not shown) may be provided to drive the gear drivesystem 11, which in turn rotates the torsion tube 4, directly, or drivesa gear rack 15, which in turn drives the torsion tube 4. The mountingrail 7 may be a support structure designed for unframed solar modules.In exemplary embodiments, the rail is a roll-formed steel modulemounting rail and may be fabricated from roll formed steel and may bemultiple meters in length. One or more solar modules 6 may be mounted tothe mounting rail 7, and disclosed mounting bracket assemblies used tosecure one more mounting rails to the torque tube 4. In exemplaryembodiments, mounting clips 9 may be provided to facilitate mounting ofthe solar modules.

The torque tube 4 of the solar tracker 1 may be any shape. In exemplaryembodiments, the torque tube has an octagonal cross section. However,the torque tube cross section could be round or partially rounded,square, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, D-shaped, or any otherregular or irregular shape. Accordingly, embodiments of the mountingbracket assembly may be any shape corresponding to the torque tube crosssection, such as round or partially rounded, square, rectangular,pentagonal, hexagonal, D-shaped, or any other regular or irregularshape. As discussed above, the open bottom space 24 of the modulemounting bracket 10 may be designed to have a slight return 26 in orderto snap over the vertical sides of an octagonal torque tube or a torquetube of another cross-sectional shape.

In operation, methods of assembling a solar tracker are provided,including methods of attaching a mounting bracket assembly 10, 110 withor without support rails 5 to a torque tube 4. Advantageously, the openbottom space 24, 124 of the mounting bracket assembly 10, 110 allows theinstaller to attach module mounting rails 7 for unframed solar modules 6onto the torque tube 4 anywhere along the length of the tube after it isinstalled in the field. First, the installer attaches a support rail 5to the upper clamp piece 12 of the mounting bracket assembly 10. Moreparticularly, the installer connects a first support rail 5 to the firstsupport fastener or slot 38 a on the left octagonal side 30 d of theupper clamp piece 12. Similarly, the installer may connect a secondsupport rail 5 to the second support fastener 38 b on the rightoctagonal side 30 e of the upper clamp piece 12. The support rails 5could be secured to the upper clamp piece 12 of the mounting bracketassembly 10 by any suitable fastening mechanism such as a bolt and nutfastener.

Next, the installer clips or snaps upper clamp piece 12 of the mountingbracket assembly 10 onto the torque tube 4. More particularly, theslight return of the open bottom space 24 allows the installer to clipor snap the upper clamp piece 12 of the mounting bracket assembly 10over the vertical sides of the octagonal torque tube 4 to stay inposition on the tube until full assembly is completed. The installerthen attaches the lower clamp piece 14 of the mounting bracket assembly10 to the upper clamp piece 12. The lower clamp piece 14 is attached tothe upper clamp piece 12 by mating the lower partial fastener 20 of thelower clamp piece 14 with the upper partial fastener 18 of the upperclamp piece 12. More particularly, hinge piece 34 of the lower clamppiece 14 is slid or snapped into slot 32 of the upper clamp piece 12.This results in the open bottom space 24 being closed to form a tubeinsertion aperture 22 and the support rails 5 being secured to thetorque tube 4.

The bolt and nut fastener assembly 36 may then be tightened to cinch themounting bracket assembly 10 around the torque tube 4 and further securethe support rails 5 to the toque tube 4. More particularly, the secondflange 50 and second aperture 52 at the top end of the lower rightoctagonal side 30 h of the lower clamp piece 14 is positioned to matewith first flange 42 and first aperture 44 of the upper clamp piece 12,the bolt inserted through the apertures 44, 52, and the nut tightened.

As discussed above, the upper clamp piece 12 of the mounting bracketassembly 10 may have angled reinforcement features to providereinforcement for the mounting bracket. The installer may secure thefirst angled reinforcement feature 28 a at the top left octagonal side30 a of the upper clamp piece 12 and the second angled reinforcementfeature 28 b at the top right octagonal side 30 b of the upper clamppiece 12 to the mounting rail 7 by any suitable fastening mechanism suchas a bolt and nut fastener. In exemplary embodiments, the installerwould install one or more solar modules on the mounting rail 7.

In operation of mounting bracket assembly 110, the installer snaps upperclamp piece 112, 212 of the mounting bracket assembly 110 onto thetorque tube 4. More particularly, the slight return of the open bottomspace 124 allows the installer to snap the upper clamp piece 112, 212 ofthe mounting bracket assembly 110 over the vertical sides of theoctagonal torque tube 4 to stay in position on the tube until fullassembly is completed. The installer then attaches the lower clamp piece114 of the mounting bracket assembly 110 to the upper clamp piece 112.The lower clamp piece 114 is attached to the upper clamp piece 112, 212by connecting the lower partial fasteners 120 a, 120 b to the upperpartial fasteners 118 a, 118 b using the slide-on bolt and nut fastenersor other suitable fastening mechanism.

The installer secures the first angled reinforcement feature 128 a atthe top left octagonal side 130 a of the upper clamp piece 112 and thesecond angled reinforcement feature 128 b at the top right octagonalside 130 b of the upper clamp piece 112 to the mounting rail 7 by anysuitable fastening mechanism such as a bolt and nut fastener. Theinstaller would also secure the lower clamp piece 114 to the mountingrail 7. More particularly, the two opposing support members 150 a, 150 bare connected to the mounting rail 7 by attaching the end of eachrespective support member 150 a, 150 b to the mounting rail 7 by one,two or more rivet studs or any other suitable fastener. In exemplaryembodiments, the installer would install one or more solar modules onthe mounting rail 7.

Thus, it is seen that improved mounting bracket assemblies, snap onmounting brackets, mounting rails, and related mounting methods areprovided. It should be understood that any of the foregoingconfigurations and specialized components may be interchangeably usedwith any of the apparatus or systems of the preceding embodiments.Although illustrative embodiments are described hereinabove, it will beevident to one skilled in the art that various changes and modificationsmay be made therein without departing from the scope of the disclosure.It is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes andmodifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mounting bracket for a solar module, themounting bracket comprising: an upper clamp piece comprising: a firstside; a first upper partial fastener on the first side of the upperclamp piece; a second side; a second upper partial fastener on thesecond side of the upper clamp piece; a first portion of a tubeinsertion aperture at least partially defined by the first side and thesecond side of the upper clamp piece; and an open bottom space; and alower clamp piece comprising: a first side; a first lower partialfastener on the first side of the lower clamp piece, the first lowerpartial fastener configured to be connected to the first upper partialfastener; a second side; a second lower partial fastener disposed on asecond side of the lower clamp piece; the second lower partial fastenerconfigured to connected to the second upper partial fastener; and asecond portion of the tube insertion aperture at least partially definedby the first side and the second side of the lower clamp piece, the tubeinsertion aperture disposed between the upper clamp piece and the lowerclamp piece when the upper clamp piece and the lower clamp piece areconnected.
 2. The mounting bracket for a solar module as in claim 1,wherein the first upper partial fastener comprises a slot and the firstlower partial fastener comprises a hinge portion.
 3. The mountingbracket for a solar module as in claim 1, wherein the first upperpartial fastener and the first lower partial fastener are pivotallyconnected; and wherein the second upper partial fastener and the secondlower partial fastener are connected by a fastener.
 4. The mountingbracket for a solar module as in claim 1, wherein the first upperpartial fastener and the first lower partial fastener are connected by afirst fastener; and wherein the second upper partial fastener and thesecond lower partial fastener are connected by a second fastener.
 5. Themounting bracket for a solar module as in claim 1, wherein the firstupper partial fastener extends outwardly from the first side of theupper clamp piece; wherein the second upper partial fastener extendsoutwardly from the second side of the upper clamp piece; wherein thefirst lower partial fastener extends outwardly from the first side ofthe lower clamp piece; and wherein the second lower partial fastenerextends outwardly from the second side of the lower clamp piece.
 6. Themounting bracket for a solar module as in claim 1, wherein the upperclaim piece is sized and configured to be attached to a tube by a clipor snap connection.
 7. The mounting bracket for a solar module as inclaim 1, further comprising a slight return that facilitates a clip orsnap attachment of the upper clamp piece to a tube.
 8. The mountingbracket for a solar module as in claim 1, wherein the upper clamp pieceforms fives sides of the mounting bracket and the lower clamp pieceforms three sides of the mounting bracket.
 9. The mounting bracket for asolar module as in claim 1, further comprising: a first supportextending outwardly from the first side of the upper clamp piece, thefirst support configured to be connected to a mounting rail; and asecond support extending outwardly from the second side of the upperclamp piece, the second support configured to be connected to themounting rail.
 10. The mounting bracket for a solar module as in claim1, further comprising: a first support extending outwardly from thefirst side of the lower clamp piece, the first support configured to beconnected to a mounting rail; and a second support extending outwardlyfrom the second side of the lower clamp piece, the second supportconfigured to be connected to the mounting rail.
 11. The mountingbracket for a solar module as in claim 1, where the upper clamp piece isinitially connected to a torque tube of a solar tracker by a clip-on orsnap-on connection, and the upper clamp piece is subsequently securelyattached to the torque tube when the upper clamp piece and the lowerclamp piece are connected.
 12. The mounting bracket for a solar moduleas in claim 1, further comprising: a first reinforcement of the upperclamp piece that is configured to be attached to a mounting rail by afirst fastener; and a second reinforcement of the upper clamp piece thatis configured to be attached to the mounting rail by a second fastener.13. The mounting bracket for a solar module as in claim 1, furthercomprising: a first reinforcement disposed on one side of the upperclamp piece; and a second reinforcement disposed on an opposing side ofthe upper clamp piece.
 14. The mounting bracket for a solar module as inclaim 13, wherein the first reinforcement is configured to support themounting bracket and a mounting rail; and wherein the secondreinforcement is configured to support the mounting bracket and themounting rail.
 15. The mounting bracket for a solar module as in claim13, wherein the first reinforcement includes a first portion thatsupports a mounting rail and a second portion that supports the mountingbracket; and wherein the second reinforcement includes a first portionthat supports the mounting rail and a second portion that supports themounting bracket.
 16. The mounting bracket for a solar module as inclaim 13, wherein the first reinforcement extends outwardly at an anglerelative to the upper clamp piece; and wherein the second reinforcementextends outwardly at an angle relative to the upper clamp piece.
 17. Amounting bracket for a solar module comprising: an upper clamp piececomprising: a first member including one or more sides; a first upperpartial fastener disposed at least proximate a first end of the firstmember; a second upper partial fastener disposed at least proximate asecond end of the first member; an open bottom space; a slight returnthat facilitates a clip or snap attachment of the upper clamp piece to atorque tube; and a lower clamp piece comprising: a second memberincluding one or more sides; a first lower partial fastener disposed atleast proximate a first end of the second member, the first upperpartial fastener and the first lower partial fastener configured to beconnected; and a second lower partial fastener disposed at leastproximate a second end of the second member, the second upper partialfastener and the second lower partial fastener sized and configured tobe connected.
 18. The mounting bracket for a solar module as in claim17, further comprising a tube insertion aperture at least partiallydefined by the first member of the upper clamp piece and the secondmember of the lower clamp piece.
 19. The mounting bracket for a solarmodule as in claim 17, further comprising at least one angledreinforcement feature connected to the upper clamp piece.
 20. Themounting bracket for a solar module as in claim 17, wherein the lowerclamp piece further comprises two opposing support members configured toattach to the mounting rail.